Bodkin / Patterns

Low-Fat Sculpin

Streamer · Trout · Smallmouth Bass · Intermediate · 2 versions

Reference Recipe

  • Hook Streamer / stinger hook (Fulling Mill streamer stripper), 2
  • Thread Black 140 denier

Materials

  • Tungsten barbell eyes Black mono eyes small (5mm)
  • Squishenille (body) Olive (UV) squishenille (1 length)
  • Magnum zonker strip (tail) Olive rabbit zonker strip (1)
  • Zonker strip tabs (pectoral fins) Olive rabbit zonker strip (2 short pieces)
  • Bruiser Blend dubbing (head, top) Brown olive ice dub (1 clump)
  • Bruiser Blend dubbing (head, bottom) Pale lemon (1 clump)

How to tie it

  1. Secure the hook and start black thread at mid-shank; tie the 5mm tungsten barbell eyes on the underside at the middle of the shank with figure-eight wraps so the fly rides inverted, and add a drop of super glue.
  2. Wrap the thread to just behind the eyes, tie in the olive Squishenille, and wrap it forward up the shank to build a bulky body, leaving bare shank at the front; tie off and trim.
  3. Thin the underside of a magnum olive zonker strip at the tie-in end, then tie it in as a tail about a shank-and-a-half long at the rear of the Squishenille body.
  4. Tie in two short zonker-strip tabs, one on each side just ahead of the tail, and trim them to length as pectoral fins.
  5. Moisten and sweep the rabbit hair back, then tie in a preened clump of brown-olive Bruiser Blend on top and a clump of pale-lemon on the bottom, both flaring forward over the eye with tight wraps.
  6. Fold the dubbing back, push it into shape, and take a few thread wraps in front; whip finish behind the eye.
  7. Comb out the Bruiser Blend and trim the head into a flat, wedge-shaped sculpin profile, rolling dubbing in to fill any gaps.

Other versions

1 more in the app: Fly Fish Food Tie.

Tying videos

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